Riveau
by PhantomPlanetluvr
Summary: Set after Revelation. ¡Spoilers! What happens when Reed returns to Easton after the shooting? Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Private…Kate Brian does!

I was lying in the hospital. I wasn't hurt, physically at least, but I was there for just precaution. I kept getting asked what was wrong, as I wouldn't speak more than one syllable at a time to anyone but my friends.

Well, what did they expect? Would they be acting right if their _best friend_ decided to try to kill them?

I didn't think so.

As for Josh and Noelle, they were fine. Josh was okay, and, like me, was in the hospital for precaution. We were in rooms next door to each other. Noelle, in the hour since the shooting, had already been here, and was currently going to get coffee at Starbucks. I knew she'd find a way to get past the doctors. I got up, and realized that I was perfectly fine. The bullet had missed the both of us, and gone into a wall.

Thank god.

I walked slowly next door to Josh's room. He had his legs bent, with a sketchbook against them.

"Hey." I said quietly. He looked up, and to my surprise, smiled.

"Hey Reed. I was just about to come over and see you." He said. "We have to talk, don't we?" He set his lips in a line.

"Yeah. We do." I said. "Josh, I-"

"Reed, please. Not now. When Noelle, and Trey, and whoever else decides to show up pays the doctors to let us out, we can talk. I promise. Just us." He said.

My heart went wild when he said just us. There was a lot that could happen when it was _just us._

"Alright." I whispered. "I'm so sorry about all of this."

"It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. You should get some sleep…we've had a tough night. See you later?" He asked.

"Of course." I choked out, and retreated to my room.

Josh didn't blame me. Maybe he didn't hate me…maybe…

No. Josh never was going to love me again.

I slumped on my bed, and looked at the walls.

"You awake?" Noelle asked as she opened the door, arms full of coffee.

"Yeah." I said.

"Scary, huh?" She said, and grimaced. "Sabine. Innocent, sweet Sabine. She was _her_ sister."

"I know." I whispered, as Noelle crawled next to me.

"Reed, I'm so, so sorry about how I treated you. I never really believed that you could ever do that to me, and…" She wrapped her arms around me.

"It's okay…seriously Noelle." I said, tears coming to my eyes. "I'm sorry." She still cared about me. We were okay.

"I think I should tell you…Sabine is on her way to the same place _she's_ in. She's never, ever coming back. Everything will be okay from now on. No more losing people, no more sabotaging, just…it'll be normal." Noelle said, looking at me through glassy eyes.

"Now!" Noelle said, back to business. "About getting you back into Billings. I think we need you back there. It's not the same without you."

"It's okay…you don't have to." I said, though I wished she would let me back in.

"No. _I_ want you there. Seriously, Reed, you're forgiven. By everyone." She said.

My stomach did back flips, and I felt warm, complete and happy inside. I was forgiven.

"I will move back into Billings only if I don't have to be in the room I used to share with her. Please." I begged.

"Well…what if you roomed with me?" Noelle asked. "I mean, I suppose we could get them to put another bed in my room…it'd be tight but, hey, I mean, that would be cool."

"You'd let me room with you?" I asked her.

"Well why not? We're okay, aren't we?" She asked.

"Oh, Noelle!" I said, ecstatic. "We're better than okay!"

Two hours later, I was still at the hospital. Noelle had left, gone to get the rest of the Billings girls. Josh, in his hospital gown, walked into my room.

"Can I come in?" He asked as he tapped the door.

"Sure." I said, and moved my legs so that he could sit down.

"Well, I was just bored, and wanted to know if you'd heard anything."

"Yeah, I did. Sabine's off to go be with Ar…Ariana. And everyone else is okay." I said.

"How about you and Noelle?" He asked.

"We're okay. I'm moving back to Billings." I said.

"That's great!" He said, seeming actually excited. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks Josh." I said, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"No problem. I'm glad you're doing okay." He smiled, and positioned his arms around my waist. It felt so unbelievably good to be back in his arms.

I broke apart when I remembered one thing. One. Very. Important. Thing.

"Ivy." I whispered.

Josh heaved a sigh. "Complicated, isn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah." I grimaced. "It is."

"I'm sorry, Reed. For all that I've done to you."

"You didn't do anything. It was all her fault. She's why we aren't still together." I said spitefully.

He nodded. "You forgave me after what Sabine did to Cheyenne and I…it's only right that I forgive you for that. It wasn't your fault after all." He said, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a smile.

"I miss you so much, Josh." I blabbered. "I miss you so much. I didn't feel complete when I wasn't with you, and I wish we could have another chance." I said, and immediately covered my mouth. I couldn't control what was coming out of my mouth.

Josh grinned. "What if I told you that I felt the exact same way? It wouldn't be a lie."

"Really?" I asked, aghast. I was forgiven. By the boy I loved and my best friend.

"Really really. I couldn't swallow that you would do that to me. You did love me, after all." He said, and got closer to me.

"I still do love you Josh. You probably don't love me, but…"

"Ah, Reed. Don't say that just yet." Josh said, and kissed my cheek. "I'll talk to you later."

----------------------------------

So…..

What do you think???????????????????????

Read and Review!!!!!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I woke up this morning and realized I don't own Private…Damn it!

"Come on Reed! Let's get the hell out of here!" London screeched as she ran down the hall, holding a bag from the boutique down the road.

Of course. They'd bought me clothes.

Vienna, Portia and Shelby flew through my door, and started getting me dressed in a hurry. My hospital gown sailed to the floor, only to be replaced by 7 for all Mankind jeans and a Marc Jacobs t-shirt.

"So…" I began. "Getting Josh out of here too?"

"Trey and Gage have it covered. Oh, and guess what?" Shelby said.

"What?" I asked.

"We voted…" Vienna began, but was interrupted when Constance and Noelle ran up to the door.

"Welcome back to Billings!" Noelle laughed manically.

It felt as if I was able to fly. Billings. I was back. I was forgiven…they didn't hate me. It felt…amazing.

"Whoa, whoa, what's the commotion over here?" Gage Coolidge asked as he looked in the door.

"We voted Reed back into Billings last night." Shelby said, as she pulled out her iPhone to take a picture of my face.

"Congrats, Brennan." Gage said as the rest of the Ketlar boys (including Josh, now wearing Citizens of Humanity jeans and my favorite grey ribbed sweater) came to the door.

"Hey, you guys want to get out of here?" Trey asked, Astrid standing next to him. "I want food."

"Oh, you're always hungry." Astrid said, and slapped his shoulder. "Let's get back to Easton, and we'll go from there."

"Oh!" Noelle said, and glanced to me. "I hope you don't mind…we've already moved you back to Billings. Pemberly is no more."

"Thanks Noelle." I said, and we hugged tightly again.

"We missed you. Billings was so…blah without you." Constance said. Her phone buzzed, and she opened the text message, giggling. "Word sure gets around fast…Whit says congratulations on coming back."

"Tell him I said thanks." I grinned, and then my phone sang my text message signal.

From: Josh

Congrats! When r u available 2 chat? 

-Josh

I quickly texted back.

From: Reed.

Don't know yet. I'll tell u when tho 

From: Josh

Ok…ttyl

I turned to look at Josh. He grinned, and his blond bangs fell in his eyes. I smiled back.

Yeah. We'd be okay.

--------------

Astrid unlocked the door to Billings house, and let the rest of us inside. It hadn't changed a bit. I was so happy to be back home. So happy.

"Let's go see our room, Reed." Noelle said softly, and led me up the stairs I knew so well. We walked down the hall to our new room, and she swung the door open.

It was just like I'd imagined our room to look like. There were huge, fluffy down comforters, tons of oversized pillows, a huge closet full of clothes and our computers on the desks.

"Welcome home, Reed." She said. "Is the room okay?"

I turned to her, and smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

When we decided to go back downstairs, I was surprised to see the amount of people in our dorm- all of Ketlar, and all of Billings. And, of course, Marc Alberro, who was currently in an animated discussion with Lance. Portia and Rose were flipping through Vogue, and Gage was singing "Holly Jolly Christmas" severely out of tune, though at the top of his lungs. I was surprised he actually knew that song- I didn't think wealthy kids had the same life I did. Josh was taking pictures with his Nikon D40 and the rest were either texting or laughing hysterically at Gage.

This is how it was supposed to be. I skipped down the stairs, and sat next to Constance. Gage had moved onto dancing (along with singing out of tune), and he had everyone laughing.

"I'm so happy that you're back, Reed. It just wasn't Billings without you." She said, and hugged me tightly.

"How much have I missed?" I asked.

"Nothing really. It sure will be weird not having Sabine here." Amberly Carmichael said as she sat down next to Constance. "You know, she was such a great roommate. Shame about her relation to Ariana though."

"Shut up Amberly!" Constance said, standing up. "God, you never know when enough is enough, do you?"

This made everyone, even Gage quiet. Amberly's mouth hung open as she gaped at Constance.

"I was just…" She began.

"Can you not comprehend _shut up_?" London asked, not looking up as she pushed the keys of her Blackberry.

"I never knew frosh were _so_ annoying." Vienna rolled her eyes, and return to her Mac laptop.

"Please, Amberly. You didn't even know Sabine." Portia said. "Spare us."

"I roomed with her for a while, if you hadn't noticed." The snotty blonde spat.

"You spent the vast majority of the time in my room." Noelle said, seeming bored. "Which, might I add, won't be happening anymore, as my room is not only my own."

"What? Huh?" Amberly said, at a loss for words.

"I'm rooming with Noelle now." I said.

"You? You don't even live in Billings anymore." She cackled.

"While you were out gossiping with Lara and her other cronies, we voted Reed back in." Noelle said, still acting bored. "Now, since Billings is a house for juniors and seniors, we don't think that this is quite the place for a little freshman, do we?" Noelle asked. We all shook our heads in unison.

"What? You can't do that." She said, weaking.

"When I single-handedly handed over a 5-million check to the Crom, he basically gave me cart-blanche to do whatever I want." Noelle said.

I winced as she repeated the words she'd said to me when she voted me out of Billings. I didn't feel any pain for Amberly, though.

"Pack your bags, sweetheart." Noelle smiled falsely, and traipsed upstairs.

We all stared at Amberly. She looked so small and weak as she cowered in her spot. Then, to my horror, she started to scream and cry.

"Let's get the hell out of here." Trey said, and all the guys (and most of the Billings girls) made their way to the Ketlar dorm.

"You bitch." Amberly whispered, "This is all your fault, and I swear to god, even if it's the last thing I do, I will get my revenge. Watch your back, Reed."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do I ever own Private? Nah, didn't think so.

"Think, Reed. What's a wannabe frosh going to do to you?" Noelle said as she packed for Christmas break. She threw clothes unceremoniously into a large, Louis Vuitton trunk.

"I don't know." I said doubtfully. "Whatever she can think of to scare me, I suppose."

Noelle faced me, hands on my shoulders. "Nothing is going to happen to you with me on your side. As powerful and rich as Amberly is, I have more power and resources than she could ever dream of." Noelle reassured, though I still doubted that Amberly wouldn't get her way.

"Now! To happier things." Noelle said, and dropped her hands to her hips. "Are you or are you not coming to St. Bart's with me?"

"Noelle, I couldn't ask you to bring me. That wouldn't be right." I said quietly.

Noelle smiled sincerely. "Reed, it's not a big deal. Seriously. Please come."

"You're sure?" I asked, still disbelieving.

"Positive." She said, and gave me one of those don't-be-silly looks she was famous for.

I gave Noelle a hug (which I hope said a lot. I'd been giving and getting a lot of hugs lately) and inhaled her spicy-sweet scent. I'd missed having her as my best friend.

After my experience with Sabine, I'd never, ever take anything, anyone for granted. Ever again.

"Now that we have that cleared up…I think you should go talk to Mr. Hollis over in Ketlar." Noelle grinned. "He asked me specifically to tell you that he wanted to talk. I'll pack, and you go talk to him."

"Thanks, Noelle."

"Just clear it up. I can't stand seeing a cutie like Josh with Ivy."

I rapped on the door of Ketlar. I didn't understand why they'd never given me a key, but that didn't matter right now.

West opened the door almost immediately. "Hey Reed. Need Josh?"

"If he's around." I said, as I walked inside the dorm. Loud rock music was blaring from the living room, revealing that someone was playing Guitar Hero.

"Yeah, he's in the living room." West said, and called him. Josh slouched in, looking like he'd just woken up.

"If this is a bad time…" I began.

"No, no. It's cool.' Josh said. "Let's go upstairs."

I followed him up the steep, plushy carpeted stairs to his and Trey's room. He sat on his bed, and patted the space next to him. I dropped, and looked at him.

"So." I said.

"So."

"Josh, I never, ever meant to hurt you like that. You have to understand- I've never felt the way I feel for you. You…you…you are the only on that I've ever loved. I liked Marc, I liked Domonic…but I love you."

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted us to be apart." He said. "You forgave me after what Cheyenne did…or what Sabine did. It's only right that I forgive you…and I do." He said, and cupped my face in his hands. "God…you're so beautiful."

"So are you." I said, and we laughed softly. I felt like I was a live wire.

"I miss you. When you said that you didn't want to hear that I loved you…I broke. I still miss you, so very much, even though you're right here. It's because…I know I'll never have you ever again. It kills me, Josh. It really does." I whispered. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you. I never stopped. But there's Ivy now, and I have to fix that before I come back. But I will. I promise, I will find a way for us to be together. Can you give me a few days?"

"As long as you need. Don't completely kill her though. She's part of the reason that we're here." I said. "She helped me find out who killed Cheyenne."

"Okay. Just remember." He pulled me to his chest. "I love you."

"I love you too." I said, and he brushed his lips over my forehead.

He was mine again. Or he would be mine, as soon as Ivy got taken care of.

I was walking on air. I ran upstairs to Noelle and my new room, and she met me at the door.

"Hey. I just called your dad. He said to have a good time and bring back souvenirs. How'd it go with Josh?" She asked.

"Good. He's going to get rid of Ivy, he said, and come back to me!" I exclaimed.

"That's great!" Noelle said. "I knew you guys would pull it together." She smiled.

"So, when are we leaving for St. Bart's?" I asked casually.

"Hour and a half." She said nonchalantly.

"Hour and a half?" I asked, eyes going wide.

"Yeah. Don't worry. You're packed." She said. "Now let's go say goodbye to everyone else."

Constance was spending time back in San Francisco with her cousins over the Holidays. "Derek wanted to know if you were available." she laughed. Vienna and London were of course, traveling together to Milan. Portia was going to Puerto Rico, Shelby to London, Tiffany to Paris and Astrid (like Constance) to California with Trey.

We chatted eagerly about our vacations until the car showed up at the door.

"Later, girls!" Noelle called as we ran to the door.

This was probably going to be the best vacation ever.

"So where are we flying out of?" I asked Noelle as we relaxed into the seats of the black BMW 7-series.

"JFK. I need coffee. We need to get the driver to let us stop at Starbucks."

"Okay…so what hotel are we at?"

"The W. It's right on the beach, and we're sharing a suite. Cool?" She asked.

"Totally. This is going to be so amazing." I raved.

"I know. And the fact that there is no Ivy Slade there makes it all so much better."

"No kidding." I said, thinking of Josh. "How are you and Dash?"

"Good." She smiled. "He might come down for a few days…Maybe we could persuade him to bring Josh along."

To my surprise, I didn't smile, turn red or tingle when I heard Dash's name. I had Josh…and he was all I needed.

**A.N.- you know Josh and Reed won't be together without a fight…be prepared!**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I'm not Kate Brian. I don't own Private…okay, now for the chapter!

Since Noelle's Mother and Father had taken the jet, Noelle and I had to fly Jet Blue. How terrible.

Our flight left at nine, so we were stuck in the airport for an hour. We sat in the special lounge for preferred flyers, reading _Nylon _and _Vogue, _sipping machiattos.

"Isn't this adorable?" Noelle would ask every so often, and I'd nod, and perhaps point to something decently cute. It was dreadfully boring, that is, until I got a text message from Josh.

From: Josh

Hey Babe.

From: Reed

Hey! This airport is so boring…want to save me?

From: Josh

Wish I could. Though I might just meet up with you in New York next week 

From: Reed

Please do. Thank god I don't have to deal with Amberly…

From: Josh

Yeah, what is her issue? I'm going to talk to Ivy. Text me when you get there.

From: Reed

Will do. Good luck!

Okay. He was positively the most amazing guy in the world.

Noelle and I stepped out on to the sidewalk, where a man was holding a sign that said "Lange- Brennan". We strolled over, where the young man opened a limo door to let us inside. The limo, we soon learned, was not, in fact empty.

Two blonde boys, one with the most beautiful blue eyes and the other with warm, chocolate brown eyes sat across from Noelle and I.

"Josh!" I exclaimed as Noelle grinned, and kissed Dash.

"Hey!" He said, and patted the small space next to him as Dash moved to sit with Noelle.

"How…why…what's happening?" I asked, stuttering.

"Let's see. We're spending this week in St. Bart's, and next week in New York. Comprendo?" Noelle said as Dash nuzzled her neck.

I looked at Josh. "Really? The four of us?"

"Really." He said, and pulled me in for a kiss.

But not before I could say "Ivy…"

"Is with Gage on her way to Paris." Dash said, looking at us. "They were flying out of La Guardia the same time as us."

I looked into Josh's turquoise eyes. He raised his eyebrows, and I kissed him passionately. I could never, ever take him for granted again. Josh was all that I'd ever need.

"So, Hollis, what hotel are you at?" I asked as we finally broke apart from our embrace.

"Same as you. Come on, you couldn't expect us to be on the same island and not at the same hotel as you." Josh laughed. "What time is it?"

"Three in the morning." Dash said, as he glanced at his silver Rolex watch. "I'm beat."

"No kidding." Josh replied. "I might just fall asleep right here."

"Come on, Hollis. We're almost to the hotel. And if you do fall asleep here, and snore, that will mean the end of a pleasant vacation for you, right Reed?" Noelle asked

I shook my head and laughed in response. "So how long is the gender-specific suite idea going to last?"

"It's not." Noelle said. "You're going to Josh's suite, if you don't mind."

I glanced to Josh, who was playing with my fingers. "No. It's cool." I said, as the car pulled up to the magnificent hotel.

We climbed out of the limousine, hand in hand. We strolled into the elaborate lobby, which was (miraculously) still open.

"Hollis?" Josh asked, still holding my hand as we walked up to the counter.

The girl behind the desk looked at her computer. "346" she said, and handed him an ivory envelope. We stepped into the elevator, and pressed floor three.

"I missed you." He said, staring down at me.

"But I'm here now." I said, wrapping myself around him seductively.

"I couldn't be any happier." He grinned, and leaned in to kiss me.

I loved him so, so much.

We woke up the next morning in a beachy, minimal room with a screen door opening to the balcony. The bed had soft white sheets, a white down comforter and a flowing white canopy.

"Good morning." I said sleepily, as he brought his face closer to mine.

After kissing for a good ten minutes, he spoke. "We should get dressed."

I reluctantly climbed out of bed, and peeled off my Victoria's Secret cotton sleep shirt. Fumbling through my suitcase, I found my black Calvin Klein bikini, which I slipped under a pair of True Religion shorts and a navy Ralph Lauren polo shirt.

Josh wore a simple pair of Billabong swim shorts, and to my amusement, a navy Ralph Lauren polo as well. He laughed when I turned around, and was wearing close to the same outfit.

"Great minds dress alike." I said simply.

"Isn't it 'great minds think alike'?" He grinned.

"Yes. But this is more fitting." I said, as we stopped in front of Noelle and Dash's room. Dash pushed the door open, followed by Noelle, who couldn't even skip the make-up for a day in the sand.

"You guys look cute." She said, glancing at our outfits.

"Thanks." I said, gazing at her Juicy Couture string bikini under her Michael Stars sundress. Dash led Noelle by the hand to the elevators. We followed, and walked to the café counter.

After getting our breakfast, we went to sit at one of the tables in the tropical garden outside.

"So what are our plans for today?" I asked Josh, who was biting a piece of Honeydew melon.

"I don't know. What are you guys doing?" Josh asked Noelle and Dash, who were biting the same monstrous cinnamon roll at the same time.

"I need to do more Christmas shopping." Noelle said. "There are some amazing shops in the village. Care to join me, Reed?"

I looked to Josh, then to Dash. "Can we trust you two alone for a day?" I asked skeptically.

They looked at each other, and then back to me. "Yeah. Of course." Dash said.

"Absolutely." Josh replied.

"Then we have a shopping date." Noelle said to me, grinning.


	5. Chapter 5

Please don't make me keep saying this. I don't own Private, damn it!

Haha, jk.

I was confused. Why were there malls in the Caribbean? Didn't we come here to get away from that?

Obviously not.

Noelle and I strolled about the outdoor mall, sipping iced coffees. I kept thinking about what I'd be doing if I were at home in Croton, which would probably be playing Gran Turismo with Scott. Bo-ring.

"I have no idea what to give Josh for Christmas. Christmas eve is tomorrow." I said, as Noelle picked up a very minimal thong in the La Mystere store.

"I think I know what you should _give_ him." She smiled coyly.

"I already planned to do _that_," I said, "Just something else, to give him the morning after."

"Hm." Noelle said. "Well, what about some new music for his guitar?"

"Maybe. I don't know." I said, as I flipped through the rack of laced and jeweled bras on the rack.

"Well…a ski weekend up at Stowe?" She tried again. "He snowboards, right?"

"You're right!" I said, pointing at her. "That would be perfect!"

"No problem." She said, throwing yet another corset-type thing into her bamboo basket. "Want anything for tomorrow night?"

"Nah." I replied, after thinking for a moment. "I've got just the thing."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at the hotel that night, I opened the doors to my full (thanks to Noelle) closet. We'd decided to go to dinner at the Italian restaurant, (that the locals said was delicious) and I needed something gorgeous to wear.

I was trying on a plum colored Vera Wang slip dress, when the door creaked open.

"Hello Reed." An achingly familiar, menacing voice said.

I turned around, and faced the little blonde. "What do you want?"

"I want my best friend back." Amberly said in a low voice. "You stole Noelle from me. You don't deserve to be her best friend. You don't _deserve_ to be a Billings girl."

I was just about to throttle the little girl when Josh walked in. He looked from Amberly, to me, then back to Amberly, index finger following his gaze.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" He asked, confused.

"And you got him back too? Well, Reed, you certainly get around." Amberly said, still looking at me.

That threw me over the edge. "Get. The hell. Out. Of here." I said through clenched teeth.

"Amberly, now would be the time to _get out._" Josh warned, as Amberly turned on her heel.

"Watch your back, Reed." She said, and fled the room.

I heard my ragged breathing, and dropped the shoes I was holding. Josh rushed to my side, and held me to him.

"Shhh, it's okay, relax, relax." He cooed into my ear. My breathing slowed, and I sighed.

"She's so weird." I said, laughing in spite of myself.

"Psycho, more like. Are you okay?" He smiled down at me.

"Yeah." I said. "I'll be just fine."

"Good." He said. "Now let's get ready. I have a feeling Noelle won't be happy if we're late.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What took you guys so long?" Noelle said, as she stopped tapping her foot on the tile floor of the hotel. "Whatever. Doesn't matter now. You look so pretty, Reed."

"I said the same thing not five minutes ago." Josh said, grinning at me.

God, he couldn't be anymore perfect.

"What took you half an eternity?" Dash asked.

"We had a surprise visit." I said, speaking for the first time.

"And…?"

"Amberly Carmichael." Josh said.

"Froshling?" Noelle said, cracking up. "What'd she want with you?"

"I don't know. She was freaking me out though. Something about wanting you to be her best friend again and how I didn't deserve to be a Billings Girl, Josh's girlfriend and your best friend." My voice broke ever so slightly.

Noelle just shook her head. "She didn't deserve to live in Billings for the time she did. She was so…annoying."

"It's okay." Josh whispered in my ear.

And as he said that, ironically, I said the same thing to myself

Dash had to have paid off somebody. There were waiters everywhere refilling our champagne glasses as we chatted and laughed.

Okay. Fine. I was drunk. We were all drunk. Even though I'd decided to not drink ever again after the Legacy, I was fine. I was with the three people I trusted most in the world, so I knew I'd be okay.

"And then she tripped and fell on top of me!" Noelle laughed, and slammed her champagne flute down, sloshing champagne all over the tablecloth.

"Wow, I never knew Vienna was such a klutz!" I said, as I watched Josh and Dash talk animatedly about their cars. How was it that guys could talk for hours on end about cars?

"And then London…London…" Noelle said in between fits of laughter.

"London what?" I asked.

"London was laughing…so hard…she fell off her bed onto Portia."

I cracked up. "What did Portia do?"

"She screamed, and London kicked Tiffany in the head, which caused her to throw a bottle of perfume at London, and that got all over me and Vienna…"

I'd never seen Noelle so drunk. I was tipsy, but Noelle had drank _at least_ four glasses of champagne, plus she'd polished off Dash's most recent glass. With that, I sipped the rest of my nearly full flute of champagne.

The last thing I remembered from that night was Josh laying me down in bed, and telling me to go to sleep.

I obliged.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up to someone pounding on the door.

"I'll get it." Josh said groggily, and went to get the door. Noelle stormed in.

"Reed, oh my god I need to talk to you. Now." She said, and hauled me out of bed into the bathroom. She slammed the door closed.

"Reed." She said, and sank to the sill of the ivory bathtub. "Reed, oh my god."

"Noelle! What's wrong?" I asked, getting impatient.

"Reed…oh, Reed, I'm in big trouble."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Do I have to go over this again? I own this fanfic. Not Private.

**Hey guys: Thanks so much for the awesome reviews! You guys are extremely dedicated…makes me want to cry! Love ya! Peace out, babes.**

x

"Reed, I've been throwing up for two days now. Everything I eat, I throw up. I've been craving things I've never liked. And this morning…ugh, Reed, you know what this means, right?" She looked so small, so insignificant, as she looked up at me.

"Maybe that's not it. Maybe it's just a stomach bug." I said, as my heart started beating obscenely fast.

This was so not happening. This was Noelle. This wasn't supposed to happen to girls like Noelle.

"Have you taken a test?" I asked. She shook her head. "Why don't you?"

"Reed, how would it look if I went into a drug store and grabbed one?" She asked. "Would you get one for me?"

"I have one." I said. "From awhile ago. I had it just in case I, or someone else needed it."

"Can I use it?" She asked.

"It's back in the dorm. I had it hidden in one of my socks. Just wait until you get back to Easton, or New York, and we can figure things out then." I said.

"I like how you say 'we'. It makes me feel like I'm not alone."

I bent down so I could face her. "You're never alone, Noelle. Don't forget that."

She nodded solemnly. "Guess I should quit the drinks for awhile." She stood up.

"Just in case." I said, laying my hand on the small of her back as we walked out the door.

x

Not a week back as Noelle's best friend, and I already was under a considerable amount of stress. This was supposed to be a fun Christmas vacation, not a stressful one. I thought she and Dash had known better than that, but obviously not.

_"It could be a stomach bug. It doesn't have to be that."_ I told myself, as Noelle, Dash and Josh sipped lattes by the pool.

"Get in the water with me?" Josh asked, and began to pull off my Juicy Couture sundress.

"You know it." I said, letting him pull it lightly over my head. I slid into the warm, crystalline pool. He threw his Armani Exchange t-shirt over his head, and lowered himself next to me. He grinned devilishly, and bowed under the water. Suddenly, something grabbed my ankles. And, much to my dismay, I screamed as Josh popped up. I should've expected it, but I didn't.

My mind wasn't working properly.

"Re-lax." Noelle said, as she jumped into the pool, Dash following closely behind. "You don't need to freak out."

"So-rry!" I retorted, as Josh dropped under to scare Dash, who was walking towards the waterfall. He jumped ever so slightly, and as Josh came up, he smacked him on the head.

"Ow!" Josh yelped.

"You _so_ deserved that." I said, and Noelle nodded in response.

"Want to go wrap Christmas presents with me?" Noelle asked after a few minutes in the pool.

"Sure." I replied, and got out of the pool.

"Hollis and I are going sailing!" Dash yelled to our retreating backs.

Noelle and I slipped back into our sundresses, and walked back into the hotel.

"I found a test. I'm going to take it. I need you there…if it's positive." She said, and looked at me. "Sorry for roping you into all of this."

"No worries." I said. "Let's just figure out if there's going to be a Dash or Noelle junior running around."

X

"Reed. I can't look. You have to tell me what it says." She said, shielding her eyes like they might see the end of her life.

Okay, maybe in this case, it would.

I looked down on the plastic, white stick. "Negative." I said, and shoved the test in front of her eyes.

Her mouth hung open. "Then what's wrong with me?"

"I think you should talk to Dash. When we get back to New York, tell him everything."

She looked out the window of the bathroom. "Should I?"

"Yes, you should. Now I have Christmas presents to wrap. Are you going to help me, or not?"

She smiled. "Of course I will."

I ran to my room, and grabbed the stuff I'd bought, and sat back down on the floor in Noelle's room. I never knew why she insisted on not having things wrapped at the store-she certainly had the money.

"So, what did you end up getting Josh?" She asked, as she laid out shimmery, thick, gold-patterned wrapping paper on the floor. She placed a Canon camera box on it, and cut a piece to size.

"Like you said-I'm taking him up to Stowe in February over Valentine's day weekend. I picked up a snowboarding magazine and bought him a subscription to it. It's not much, but, you know…" I said, a tad embarrassed.

"I understand. Want to overnight something way cool that will arrive tomorrow morning?" She asked. "I found something totally amazing last night- you'll love it and so will he."

"Show me." I said, and she pulled her Mac Book closer to her. Within five minutes, she had the page up.

I looked at the computer screen. It didn't look like anything at first- but then I read the caption. You could hook it up to your camera, and store all of the photos your camera held, and you could view them. A portable photo database. It was small-only 8x8 inches.

"That's awesome." I said, than I saw the price. "Noelle! I can't afford that!"

She grinned mischievously. "I can."

"Noelle. I can't have you do that."

"Well, what if I want to?" She asked.

"No."

"Yes." She said, and pulled her credit card out of her Bottega Venetta bag. She plucked the computer keys a few times, and then shut the computer. "And done. Happy Christmas, Josh."

"Noelle!"

"Reed, if we're going to be best friends, then you're going to have to let me pay for things. I have _the_ bank. And until you and Josh get married, you'll just have to deal."

I turned bright red. "I don't know if Josh feels that way about me."

"I know. And he does. Trust me, as long as neither of you screw up too big, you two could have a potentially long-lasting relationship. It may sound corny, but possibly a life-long kind of ordeal."

I was blown away. Sure, I'd have no problem spending the rest of my life with him, but could he really put up with me for that long?

"You're serious?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm serious! So! Anyway, tomorrow is going to be so fun."

"Excited much?" What was with her?

"Only because I get to show you your present." She grinned.

Okay. Now I was scared.


	7. Chapter 7

**Man, you guys are ah-mazing (to quote Massie Block) with your reviews!**

**I heart you. All of you. 333**

**And no, Private belongs to the ingenious Kate Brian, not me. I don't write half as well as she does. ******

It was about ten o'clock. I had just gotten back from dinner with Josh, Dash and Noelle, and Josh was showering now. I was on the bed, in a teeny tiny white silk nightgown that I'd found in an antique shop in SoHo.

I was brushing my hair, awaiting Josh's return. Finally, he emerged from the bathroom, in just a towel. His now tanned abs and chest were very alluring, and he knew exactly what I was planning on doing tonight.

"Hey." He said simply.

"Hey yourself." I shot back, and placed my brush on the dresser. I walked over to him.

"You are so, so gorgeous." He said, and pulled me back over to the bed.

"Am I now?" I asked, playing with his blond locks.

"Would I ever lie to you?" He said, as he pulled me down on the bed next to him.

"Nah. I don't think so." I said, and that beautiful, terrible ritual commenced.

X

When I woke up in the morning, I was laying across Josh's chest. I rolled over, and probably woke him up. I looked down at him, and he smiled sleepily.

"Good morning." He said, and pulled his lips to mine.

"Hey." I said when we were done. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and without waiting for an answer, in strolled Noelle.

"Reed, your package arrived." She said, and dropped the cardboard box on the nightstand. "Must rush- meet us in our room at one." And with that, she was gone.

"What's that?" Josh asked, sitting up. I pulled the package off the bedside table, and placed it on his lap.

"Reed…"

"Open it." I said, and he tore it open.

"This is…wow…way cool…I wanted something like this…thanks!" He said, and pulled me in for a slow kiss.

"There's more. I'm taking you up to Stowe in February for a ski weekend."

"Wow…that should be awesome." He said, "How did you know I snowboarded?"

"I saw your magazines. I kind of thought that'd be cool, since, you know, we don't just have to ski."

"I'm aware." He said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I said, and snuggled closer to him.

"Wait! I have to get your present." He said, and went in the armoire. He pulled out a small box, and placed it on my chest.

I tore off the paper, and saw a small, robin's egg blue velvet box. I opened it, and inside were two small circular diamond earrings, with an R engraved on one and a J on the other.

"Josh…" I whispered. "They're beautiful."

"Thanks. I got the idea, and the people at Tiffany's were all too willing to help me execute my design. Do you really like them?"

"Of course I do. They're gorgeous." I said, and leaned in to kiss him. He was so perfect.

X

At one, we knocked on Noelle and Dash's door. Noelle opened it, and ushered us inside.

"I insist that I give Reed her present first." Noelle said, and pulled out an envelope. She handed it to me, and I tore it gently open.

Inside was a magazine clip of BMW z4. The hottest, raciest car on the market. I was confused- what was that all about?

"Merry Christmas, Reed." Noelle said, and laughed maliciously. "You do realize you don't just get the clip, you get the car too?"

"Oh my god!" I said, and hugged Noelle. She was _so _the best friend I'd ever had.

She hugged me back. "Now what's in that little blue box? Tell me you didn't get engaged before I did."

"No, no I'm not engaged." I said, and opened the box.

"Do you want to get engaged, Reed?" Josh smirked, and buried his face in my hair.

"Maybe." I said, as Noelle gasped.

"Those. Are. Gorgeous." She said. "Nice job, Hollis."

"Now, I think it's my turn to give you my present." Dash said, and slipped a box about the size and shape of mine into Noelle's hand.

She pulled the paper off, and her mouth dropped. "Dash…"

"Will you?" He asked, and bent down to look at her. She cracked a smile.

"I think I will." She said, and kissed him.

"Are they?" I gasped.

Josh looked at me. "I think so." He said, as they broke apart. Noelle held the box open to reveal a square cut diamond with two small oval diamonds on either side, with small diamonds trailing around the thin band.

"Oh, wow, McCafferty." Josh said, taken aback.

It was certainly a beautiful ring, definitely something worthy of Noelle, who was laughing and crying at the same time.

I looked at Josh. He smiled back at me, and we kissed for what seemed like an eternity.

X

I couldn't believe it. Noelle and Dash. Dash and Noelle. Noelle Lange McCafferty. Noelle McCafferty. This was definitely going to be interesting. By the time we got back to Easton, everyone would know. Some would be jealous, some would just sigh, and wonder what she was doing.

I was one that was wondering what she was doing. She was eighteen. He was eighteen. Weren't they just a little young?

Okay, a lot young. What was going to happen next? The wedding of the year? This was certainly not going to go over well with Noelle's parents. They were strict, impossibly strict, what were they going to say when they figured out that she was engaged?

And what about Josh's question? That was something else to think about. I was only sixteen, and he was only seventeen. But surely he'd wait until we were older. Older than Noelle and Dash, hopefully. In that case, I'd definitely say yes. Undoubtedly. But Noelle and Dash weren't twenty-five, they were eighteen. This could turn out to be quite a scandal.

I didn't want to be there when it happened.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys…**

**I'm at a loss with the people in Josh's family- therefore I can't finish the chapter. Could you guys help me? My best friend has all my Private books. Please, PM me with the names. I know Lynn, his brother, but I can't remember the rest of the family.**

**33**

**xoxo**

**PS- thanks for the great reviews! J'adore m'amies!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow. You guys seriously write awesome reviews. If you like the story, tell me! I love hearing from you! In thanks- a long chapter- about 1000 words more than usual! And sorry if I'm a little rusty on the Hollis family- my best friend has my books, and I couldn't remember who was in his family…**

**Xoxo**

**Disclaimer: I swear, Kate Brian is not my name. I won't reveal my real name for security issues. 33**

Before we knew it, we were back in New York. It had been at least 100 degrees most of the time in St. Bart's, and as Josh and I walked up to his house, it was only about twenty degrees. Or freezing cold. It was very, very disorienting.

I was nervous about meeting Josh's parents again. Had he told them about the Legacy? Did they think I was a horrible girl who didn't deserve their son?

Josh shed his leather jacket and helped me out of my wool peacoat as soon as we walked through the heavy oak doors.

"Josh?" Someone called from another area of the house. A woman. Probably his mother, or Ileana.

The woman, who was, in fact, Josh's mother, walked down the warm hallway to meet us. "Reed?" She asked, looking to me, as Josh grasped my hand.

"Hi, Mrs. Hollis." I said.

"Oh, honey, it's so nice to finally see you again." She said, hugging me tightly. I hugged back.

"Nice to see you too." I said, bolder now.

"Josh?" Another boy, older than Josh, with hazel eyes, peered into the room. "Hey little bro!"

"Ew, it's Josh." Tess said, peeking into the room. "And Reed."

"Hi Reed." Tori said.

"Great as usual." Lynn looked to me. "Reed, what's up?" He said, hugging me tightly. I adored Josh's family just like I adored him.

"Not much." I giggled into his shoulder

"Wow. Bro, she's hot!" He said, and wiped fake beads of sweat from his brow.

"Lynn!" Mrs. Hollis exclaimed, throwing a look at her son.

"You always told me to tell the truth, Mum." Lynn said, grinning like his brother.

As if she'd just noticed him, Mrs. Hollis grabbed Josh up into a bone-wrenching hug. "Hi, honey." She said into his blond hair.

"Hey Mum." He said, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. When they broke apart, she led us to the informal living room, full of oriental rugs and leather furniture. A huge (real) fireplace crackled and sizzled, mantle full of pictures. I looked closer. There were pictures of Josh on the ski mountain with Lynn, when they were little. Someone, probably a cousin, jumping her horse. An action shot of Josh playing soccer for Easton. Josh and I at Easton, on the steps of Ketlar. Lynn and a dog the size of a small horse in the said living room. Hunter, his cousin, sailing. Tess and Tori riding their ponies. Trey, an obvious adopted member of the family, in his hockey uniform. This wasn't a dysfunctional family. Unlike a lot of rich families, they looked like they spent time together.

Tess, Lynn and Tori followed us. "Tess, Tori, why don't you go play rock band or something?" Mrs. Hollis said, and they scampered off to another room.

"You must feel terrible about the whole ordeal with Sabine Du Lac. I can't believe the things she did." Mrs. Hollis said, and shook her head. Josh squeezed my hand as I sank down on the couch next to him.

"That must've been beyond freaky." Lynn said, and shook his head. He whipped out a blackberry, and turned it off. "Nothing interesting ever happens at Yale."

"So beyond freaky." I laughed, and Josh grimaced. "Were news stations talking about it? Was it everywhere?"

"Man, we even heard about her trying to kill you guys up at Yale." Lynn shook his head, blond curls swaying with the motion. "Psycho. And that about being Osgood's sister…"

"Pretty mad, huh?" Josh asked.

"Has anyone heard anything about Sabine?" I asked, almost nervous to know.

"She's got herself in there with her sister. She's never coming back to hurt anyone." Mrs. Hollis said.

"Good. She never deserved to be at Easton in the first place." Lynn said, and pulled at his shaggy bangs. He was certainly cute, but definitely not as adorable as Josh. Josh was…perfection.

"Mom, I'm starving." Josh said, obviously trying to change the subject. To my surprise, talking about it made me feel better. But I could see that Josh didn't want to talk about it. It must've been hard for him. If it was half as hard as it was for me, I could only imagine.

"Go in the kitchen. I'm pretty sure Ileana picked up some yummy stuff." Ileana was their housekeeper; a sweet older Russian woman and she adored Josh, Lynn, Tess and Tori like her own children.

Josh and Hunter raced into the kitchen, and I followed, a bit slower. The enormous gourmet kitchen smelled like apple pie and peppermint, and I inhaled deeply. Lynn and Josh opened a dark cherry cabinet, and began pulling things out.

"These look good." Josh said, and pulled out a box of water crackers. He opened the mahogany paneled refrigerator, and pulled out a tub of caviar.

"Ooh! Give me some!" Lynn said, and grabbed the water crackers. "That cheese looks good. Smoked Gouda. And Brie! I love being home."

"Where were you that you couldn't find French curd cheese and fish eggs?" I asked, taking a seat on one of the high stools near the counter.

"China." Answered Josh. "Any new recalls we should know about?"

"Ha, ha." Lynn rolled his eyes. He turned his eyes to me. "I was studying there for a term. I'm majoring in architecture, and I absolutely love Chinese architecture."

Josh laid a plate of cheese, crackers and caviar on the counter. He popped a cracker piled with caviar in his mouth, and closed his eyes, savoring the delicacy.

"Wow. Ileana sure can pick caviar." He said. "Reed, try some. It's seriously good."

"Fish eggs, Josh?" I asked, skeptical.

"Reed, no, seriously, some caviar sucks, but this stuff is just…amazing." Lynn said.

I looked to Josh. "Just try it!" He said, and pulled a thin wafer from the plate. He took a knife, and spread it on. He held it out to me, and I took it reluctantly. I took a very tiny bite, and felt it fall into my mouth.

They were absolutely right. It was delicious.

"Wow. That's really good." I said, and took another bite.

"I told you! You need to listen to me when I recommend food to you!" Josh laughed, and kissed my cheek.

"She should try escargot." Lynn said, and Josh nodded.

"Snails?" I made a face.

"Yeah! It's surprisingly good." Josh said.

"More than good, bro. Superb."

Eating snails was not high on my list of things I wanted to do.

Kissing Josh, on the other hand…

X

"Want to meet Trey and Astrid tonight for dinner?" Josh asked, as I sat on his bed.

"Sure. What should I wear?" I asked him. He was so perfect he even helped me get dressed.

"Hmmm…I saw a simply gorgeous black dress in the closet in St. Bart's. How about that?" He said, wrapping himself around me from the back. Mm…he was so adorable.

"Alright. What are you wearing?"

"White shirt open over my British flag t-shirt with black wool pants. We'll match." He laughed softly in my ear.

"I'll wear my _amazing_ new earrings too." I said, pulling the dress (by Betsey Johnson) out of it. I found my silver sandals, and put in my earrings. I began to remove my shirt, my pants. Josh was still in the room. I did feel a bit self-conscious, even though he'd seen me, touched me, bare-ass naked.

"I need help." I said, as I slipped on the dress. "Could you zipper it for me?"

"Sure." He said, and guided the zipper closed up my back. My skin tingled where his fingers had been.

I was wondering what dinner was going to be like. Did they know about Noelle and Dash? What was the deal with that? Or what would they think of us getting back together so soon?

X

I'd heard that Del Frisco's was the best steakhouse in Manhattan. Josh and I walked in, and we immediately saw Trey and Astrid. Astrid, who wouldn't shed her Chuck Taylor's for one night, was wearing a turquoise mini dress with pink roses. She looked punky enough- but there was still a hint of sophisticated beauty.

"Reed!" She exclaimed, and threw her arms around me.

"Hey Astrid!" I said, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

"Oh! And then Noelle and Dash engaged? That's awesome!" She unraveled her arms from my shoulders.

"Wait…how did you guys find out?" I asked.

"Vienna and London called me and told me. I guess Noelle sent out a mass text." She said, and shrugged.

"Oh, man." I said. This was going to be interesting. Why would Noelle have told everyone?

Unless _she_ hadn't said anything. She'd said that she wanted it to be secret.

Who had leaked then?

"Gorgeous earrings." Astrid said. "So sparkly."

"Josh had them made for me. They have our initials engraved on them."

Astrid pulled a strand of hair behind my ear to look closer at the earrings. "Lovely. Trey bought me the coolest camera- it's the same one Josh has. I have know idea how to use it though, which sucks."

I laughed. "I'm sure he could teach you. I got this awesome picture data port for Josh, and it supposedly works with that camera. What did you get for Trey?"

"Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour. It was a hassle trying to wrap them in the paper I liked, because they don't offer gift-wrapping at EB Games. He's worth it though." She said, looking at her boyfriend.

"Prescott, party of four?" A waitress called from the teak podium. Astrid, Trey, Josh and I stood up and followed her to a table.

"A Bougelais Nouveau?" Josh asked Trey.

"Perfect." Trey said, and ordered the bottle of wine.

"Heard anything from the other people at Easton?" Astrid asked, sipping the rich red wine.

"No, not really. You guys?" Josh replied, running one of the white cloth napkins across his lips.

"Gage and Ivy broke up again. Shelby found a cute indie cutie, named Shayne. She sent me a picture." Astrid whipped out her magenta Blackberry, and showed me a picture of a black-haired, blue-eyed guy temple to temple with Shelby.

"J'adorable isn't he?" Astrid said, as Trey made a face. "Oh, relax!" She laughed, as he frowned.

"Yeah. Anything from London and Vienna?"

"Nah. Just stuff like 'oh my god, I found a simply gorgeous Chanel gown' bo-ring." Astrid rolled her eyes. "How was St. Bart's?"

"Amazing." Josh said, and played with my fingers. "Very hot."

"Seriously hot. And not just the weather." I said.

"Too much information!" Trey said, laying his hands over his ears.

"Really? Congrats." Astrid said, nodding to me.

"I liked the drinks 24/7. I was never without some kind of tropical concoction." I laughed.

"That's the way to live." Trey said, throwing back some expensive wine.

"Easy." Astrid warned, grabbing a dinner roll from the basket on the table.

"So why are McCafferty and Lange tying the knot so early?" Trey asked.

"No idea. Noelle's being stupid about it too." I sighed.

"Not to worry. She'll grow up and realize that she has her whole life to get tied up in that." Astrid said matter-of-factly.

"I hope so, for McCafferty. We all know it-Lange can be a bitch." Trey said, grimacing. He was right, and I couldn't deny it.

"Easy, Prescott. You've got her 'bff'" Josh made air quotes, getting a smack on the arm from both Astrid and I. "Sitting right over there."

"Even Reed won't deny it."

"I can't. When she wants to be…" I shook my head.

I was afraid of when she decided to turn into bride-zilla.


	10. Chapter 10

**Love, love, LOVE you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Thanks!!!! 33333**

**Private's not mine. Hey, what else is new?**

_Beep…beep beep…Beep…beep beep…_ I slammed down the accept key on my phone, and shoved it to my ear. Who had the nerve to call at 6 in the morning?

Noelle did. "Reed! You have to get over here. Now."

"Noelle, what's wrong?" I said, sitting straight up.

"Everything. Just get your ass over here." She said, and hung up.

"What's…what…huh?" Josh stuttered. I couldn't help but laugh. I mussed his curls, and kissed his forehead.

"Nothing. Noelle's just having the fit of the century, and wants me at her place. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Okay. Be safe." Josh said, and pulled me in for a slow, steady kiss.

X

I raced into Noelle's room. "In here." She said, shaken from the bathroom.

"What is it?" I asked, and then saw the white stick in her tan hand.

"I feel like a broken typewriter." She said, quoting Rizzo from "Grease".

"Is it positive?" I asked. She nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"What made you check again?" I asked, sitting on the sill of the bathtub as she positioned herself on the sink.

"I missed a period."

"Have you told Dash? He is your fiancée, after all."

She shook her head. "I can't. Would you? Please?"

"Noelle, I can't, I just…"

"Reed, please, I can't do this myself."

"Noelle, I'd do anything in this world for you, but…"

"Do it Reed." She thrust her Treo into my hand. "Press two, you should get his phone."

I lightly pressed the number. It rang twice, and then he picked it up.

"Hey." He said groggily.

"Dash, it's Reed. I have to talk to you."

"Is Noelle okay?"

"In a sense. See, the thing is, she's well," I looked to Noelle, who raised her eyebrows, "She's pregnant. With your baby."

"What?" Dash said, fully awake now.

"Noelle. Is. Pregnant." I said.

"Oh my god…Holy living shit…" Dash said. "Um, can I talk to her?"

I looked at Noelle, and pointed to the phone. She nodded, and grabbed it. "Dash…I'm so, so, sorry."

X

"What did he say?" I asked, only a minute and a half later.

"He's coming over. Can Josh come over? Maybe he can offer some support to Dash."

"Sure." I said, and picked up my iPhone.

"Josh?" I asked when the line picked up.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Could you come over here? We, well Dash and I, need you."

"Yeah. I'll be right over."

X

Josh and Dash walked into Noelle's bedroom together. Dash immediately flung his arms around Noelle, and kissed her softly.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

She nodded. "Okay as could be expected."

"Good. I guess we need to talk. Are you guys okay with leaving for a minute?" Dash asked, sitting down on Noelle's chaise lounge.

I took my seat on the bed next to Noelle. "We are." I looked to Josh, who nodded.

X

"How about it?" Josh and I said, strolling into Starbucks.

"Can't believe it. I mean, it's Noelle. This doesn't happen to girls like her."

"Large Sumatra and a caffe vanilla frappucino." Josh said to the girl behind the counter. "I know. This is just…ugh. Such a huge mess."

"No kidding. Noelle manages to ruin her life in less than a month. It's a record." I sighed, stabbing a long green straw through the lid of my frappucino.

"Now. So, what do you want to do today?" Josh asked, stirring half & half into his coffee.

"I don't know. Your parents' New Years Party is this weekend, and I don't have anything to wear." I grimaced. "Is it formal?"

"Unfortunately. Do you want to go look for something?" He asked, wrapping my crimson peacoat around me as we stepped out into the cold.

"I guess. Who do we know that's coming?" I asked, taking his hand.

"Gage and his family, inevitably my family, Gia, Lynn's girlfriend, the McCaffertys, the Langes, and tons of other people you know. It'll be fun- I think you'll like it, to be honest."

"Where did you say it was?" I said.

"The ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria. Pretty swank."

I frowned.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll look gorgeous, as usual." He laughed, shoving me playfully. "We'll find something today."

X

Josh sat on a satin chair as I flipped through the dresses at Barney's. I pulled out an evergreen velvet number, which Josh immediately frowned at.

"That's too Portia Ahronian for you. Find a different one." He said, waving it away animatedly.

I lifted a vibrant red Valentino from the rack. It was totally racy, and seriously sexy.

"I don't like any of these. I'm almost ready to take you to Chanel, and have Lagerfeld design something for you." He made a face.

"That would be too expensive." I said, and came across a gown completely my style; it was Versace, a lovely shade of magenta with a long train. The back was open except for the straps, which crossed at the small of the back. The skirt wasn't poofy at all- it was long and gorgeous.

"Wow." Josh said. "That's just…try it on. I want to see what it looks like on you."

I slipped into the nearest fitting room, and took off my clothes. I slipped it over my head, and gazed into the mirror.

It was gorgeous. Simply sophisticated, and totally like nothing I'd seen before.

I opened the door, and looked at Josh. He grinned.

"That's the dress. I love it. It looks sexy on you too."

"I like it too." I said, and twirled into his arms.

"Go get dressed. We have to show my Mom- she'll die." He said. "She wanted me to help you pick out a dress."

"You did a spectacular job." I said, and he let me go.

X

"Mom!" Josh called as we walked in the front door.

"What? What is it?" She asked, walking into the room, clad in a pair of 7 for all Mankind jeans and a Ralph Lauren oxford shirt. I held up the garment bag from the dress.

She gasped quickly. "Let me see!" She said, and ushered us into the living room. I opened the bag, and held it so that it didn't touch the ground.

"It looks gorgeous on the hanger, but what does it look like on you?" She said. "Go in the bathroom and change."

When I walked back in the living room after I changed, Mrs. Hollis smiled. "You look spectacular. Did Josh help like I asked?" She looked at her son, who nodded.

"He did. I must've looked at 100 dresses before we agreed on this one. And to be honest, this one's the best of all of them." I twirled, and Josh caught me, and whirled me into a waltz step.

"Enough, enough!" Mrs. Hollis laughed. "I love it, Reed. Nice choice."

"Thanks." I said, and changed back into my clothes.

My phone buzzed again. _Beep…beep beep…Beep…beep beep…_

"It's Noelle." I said, and Josh raised his eyebrows.

"Hello?" I said into the phone. Josh pulled me upstairs, and I sat on his bed.

"Hi."

"What's up?"

"Um, well, I decided…not to keep the baby."

"Oh. I'm sorry." I said.

"No, no, it's good, and Dash and I are still getting married."

"That's good." I said. "How are you…getting rid of it?"

"Abortion." She said. "Oh well. But I have a wedding to plan. And you, as my maid of honor, are going to help me."

"Thanks!" I exclaimed.

"No problem."

"Dash doing okay?"

"Yeah, great, in fact. He said that we're too young, and that we'd try later."

"That's good. You guys are a bit young."

"Yeah. So! Dinner tonight? At the Ritz?"

"Sure!" I said, flabbergasted by the change of events.

"Perfect. See you guys there at eight thirty." She said, and ended the call.

Talk about weird.

"What's up?" Josh asked, lying next to me.

"Noelle's having an abortion, Dash is doing great, and we're meeting them for dinner at eight thirty."

"Oh-kay." He said, making a face. "She was freaking out about nine hours ago, and she's acting like nothing's happened? Jesus." He grimaced. "I can't help but think that if this was us, it'd be completely different."

"Trust me. It would." I said, and snuggled closer to him.


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys can't think that I will let everything work out easily like that… **

**I'm nice, but not that nice. **

**Private belongs to Kate Brian, my evil twin. Not really, but that's okay.**

"Can I show you something?" Josh asked after dinner. It was about eleven, and I was pulling my P.J. Salvage nightgown over my naked body.

"Yeah. What is it?" I asked, curious now. Dinner had been obscenely weird; Noelle and Dash had both acted carefree, like nothing in the world was wrong. It was odd, to say the least.

"You'll see." He grinned, leading me out of his room to his studio. We tiptoed through the house, holding hands. I'd never seen his studio before- we'd never had time.

He opened the door to a small room, with a large iMac, kiln, and loads of other art supplies.

He went over to a large, black portfolio, and pulled a large piece of paper to his chest. "This is a portrait that I did of you. I copied it from a photo. I hope you like it, and I think you'll recognize it." He turned the paper around, and stood shoulder to shoulder to me.

"Josh…" I breathed. It was that day, even before Cheyenne died. I was sitting on the stone steps of Ketlar this fall, embraced by Josh. We were both smiling happily, without a single care in the world. I remembered Gage taking the picture, gazing at my legs as he took it. I also recognized it as the picture on the mantle downstairs. "It's amazing." And it was. It was completely photographic, down to every last shadow and detail.

"Not necessarily." He said. "You like it?"

"More than like it. Love it. Like I love you."

He crushed me tightly to him. "I love you so much." He said, and kissed me so hard I almost fell over. Kissed me like he'd kissed me on Christmas Eve. With such desperation, and such carefulness I almost cried.

He really did love me.

And that was enough for me.

X

"Ugh!" I yelped as I woke up. I was certain I was not in Josh's bed- in fact; it felt as if I was on wood floor. I was.

"What? Huh?"

"We…um, yeah, we did that, and then fell asleep here." I laughed.

Josh laughed. "I'm not surprised. You were…amazing."

"Thanks. I should get dressed. I'm not exactly decent." I gestured to my nearly naked body.

Josh cracked up. "You look fine to me."

"I'm sure. What time is it?" I asked. Maybe I could sneak back to his room without being seen.

"Five. Run!" He said, and chased me from the room. We were just about to dash across the hall when we saw his parents. I crouched behind a topiary.

"Damn." Josh swore.

"We have to tell Josh and Reed." Josh's mother said, still in her robe.

"Not now. We can do it when they wake up. Let them sleep in peace."

"As soon as they wake up, though." Mrs. Hollis said.

"Absolutely." Mr. Hollis said, and they both went back downstairs.

Josh and I stared at each other for a long moment. What could be wrong?

"I'm going to go get dressed. We have to see what's wrong." I told Josh.

He nodded, biting his lip and followed me back to his room. I merely put on a robe, and we walked in silence down the stairs.

"Josh? Reed?" Mrs. Hollis asked, sounding distraught.

"Yeah?" Josh asked nonchalantly as we stepped into the kitchen.

"We have something to discuss with you." Mr. Hollis said, staring into his coffee mug.

"What?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"I just got a phone call from the folks at Easton, and it was on the news at four this morning. It seems to be that Sabine Du Lac and Ariana Osgood have…escaped."

My heart began beating at an unsafe pace. Escaped? How? Why? I looked to Josh.

"Oh my god." I whispered. I threw myself into his arms, and stayed there.

"For the time being, the police have suggested that you not go back to Easton until they are caught. They want us to keep you here- at this point, there's nowhere safer, even your home, Reed. I hope you don't mind staying with us for a while." Mrs. Hollis said. "It's the same for anyone who's in Billings or Ketlar. They're both out of the prison that they were in."

"Oh my god." I repeated into Josh's chest. Why? I kept asking myself, but I could never answer.

"Does anyone else know?" Josh asked, rubbing circles into my back.

"We couldn't tell you." Mr. Hollis shrugged.

"I'm going to call Noelle." I said, and pulled away from Josh.

"I'll call Trey, Gage and Dash." Josh said.

X

"Noelle?" I asked.

"Reed, it's the ass crack of dawn. What the hell is it?" She said.

"Um, well, Sabine and Ariana escaped." I said quietly.

"What?" She said, so quiet I barely heard her.

"Noelle, I…"

"Reed…Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Noelle, why are you sorry?"

"What's going to happen now?" She asked.

"I don't know. Are you okay?"

"Not really. But for another reason."

"What?"

"My parents found out…and want me to keep it."

"Are you?"

"I guess I have to. What other choice do I have?" She sounded so small, and I hoped that Dash was there with her.

"Does Dash know?"

"Yes. And we've decided to get married two weeks from now. Right here in New York."

"Noelle, that's great." I said half-heartedly. How could she seem so happy when the people who wanted to _kill _the both of us were on the loose?

"I'm excited, and Dash is too. But now this thing with Ariana and Sabine…" She trailed off.

"Hey, I've got to go. I'll call you later." I said, and she hung up.

"What's going on over there?" Josh said as he threw on a navy Ralph Lauren polo t-shirt.

"Noelle's decided to get married two weeks from now, and her parents won't let her have an abortion." I said, shrugging out of my robe.

"She chooses to tell you this _now_?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. And she doesn't seem fazed at all by any part of this. I don't think she even cares." I said. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I took it off the desk. It was a text message.

From: 678-453-9028

Beware, Reed. I'm back, and ready to do whatever it takes to bring your downfall. 

I gasped, then started breathing raggedly.

"Reed! What's wrong?" Josh asked, and pulled me to him. I showed him the phone. "Oh my god…" He whispered. "We have to show my parents. Now." He said, and pulled me downstairs.

"Mom!" He yelled, still pulling me.

"What?" Mrs. Hollis came into the living room. He shoved the phone into her hands. "Oh my god." She said, eyes widening.

"What is it?" Mr. Hollis walked in and peered over his wife's shoulder. "Jesus." He said, and they all looked at me.

"Who do you think that it's from?" Mr. Hollis asked.

"Ariana. Or Sabine. I don't know." I said, still in Josh's arms. He whispered soothing words into my ear, but it did nothing to calm me.

"Okay then. I want the two of you to stay here, and do not leave until further notice. I'm going to take this over to the police station, and I'll be back as soon as possible. Am I clear that neither of you are to leave?" Mr. Hollis said in a low voice.

"Clear." Josh said, and held me tighter to him.

"Lynn!" Mrs. Hollis called, and he came down the stairs.

"What the hell is going on? It was just on CNN that Osgood and Du Lac escaped. Wh-''

"Lynn, I need you to look this number up on your computer." Mrs. Hollis said, and showed Lynn the text.

"Holy shit." He said quietly. "You think…"

"We don't know. We're taking it to police station now." Mr. Hollis said. "Go look that up." He motioned to Lynn, who immediately ran upstairs.

"Reed, it's okay." Josh said, looking down at me.

I didn't believe him at all.


	12. Chapter 12

**Was the last chapter hot enough for you???**

**Haha. I do own my scenarios, but I don't own Private. **

Josh sat on Lynn's bed as I paced the poster-covered room.

"According to Google, that number belongs to some guy named Andrew Serenth the fourth. My idea is that they snagged the phone from someone, maybe a person on the street." Lynn said, frowning.

"They're psychos, Lynn." Josh said. "Who knows?"

"Whatever happens, I have to call Gia. She can't be here now that they've escaped." He grimaced, and grabbed his Blackberry. "Go do something. Anything. Just try not to think about it." Lynn said, as I left the room, Josh at my heels.

"So. What are we going to do?" I asked, throwing myself onto his bed. "We can't go anywhere, do anything…"

"Whoa, who says we can't do anything?" Josh smiled, and leaned over me.

"Josh, I'm so sorry. I'm just not in the mood for that right now. I just want to…I don't know." He dropped lightly onto the bed, and pulled me close to him.

"Hey, hey, it's fine. I was just trying to find you a distraction." He said softly.

"Normally, I'd do it, but…I'm scared out of my mind right now, and can't even think straight. I do love you though." I said, and snuggled closer to his chest.

"Oh. My parents decided to move the party here so that we could see everyone. I thought I'd tell you that."

"Do I still get to wear my dress?" I asked him.

"I think so. I knew you'd ask." He smiled fondly.

"I'm so worried Josh. And then there's Noelle and Dash…"

"I know. What the hell is with that anyway?"

"I don't know. I don't even know what I'm doing here. Your whole family is in danger now, because of me."

"Oh, Reed." He said, and faced me. "You are the only thing in this world that matters to me. My parents know how much you mean to me…Reed, you have to be safe. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you. My parents want you to stay here, and so do I." He said, and pulled me even closer.

"I love you." I said softly into his ear.

"I love you too. Reed, I have to ask…you know this whole thing with Noelle and Dash?" He seemed nervous, though I couldn't detect why.

"Yeah."

"Would you go that far with me someday?"

At that moment, everything came into perspective. He loved me. Really, truly loved me.

"I would." I whispered, and gazed at him. "You're all that I ever want."

"Seriously?" He said, seeming aghast.

"Very serious." I said, and smiled.

"You're so perfect." He said, and kissed me lightly.

"No. I think you're the perfect one." I said, and bit my bottom lip seductively.

"No." He shook his head.

"Yeah."

"Oh, shh." He said, and rubbed his fingers through my hair.

X

That night was the New Years' eve party. Gia had shown up, and we were in the guest room getting ready. Josh's cousins, Tia and Tori were possibly the cutest thirteen year olds ever, and Gia was currently working under Frederica Falk.

"Gia, will you do my hair? Reed did Tia's." Tori asked, as Gia, who was gorgeous, prettier than Tiffany. She had long black hair, pale, pale skin and brown eyes.

"Josh is such a cutie." She said, as she sat down behind Tori.

"He certainly is." I said. "Do you know Dash McCafferty?"

"Yeah. Isn't he engaged to Noelle Lange?" She asked.

"Yeah. He goes to Yale with you and Lynn, right?"

"Mhm. Noelle's your best friend, right?" She asked.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Things get around. If you're going to be one of Manhattan's elite, in marrying Josh, which I assume will happen, you'll learn. Plus, I'm always here to help you." She smiled.

"What makes you assume that I'm going to marry Josh?" I asked, laughing.

"Come on. I'm not blind. You two are absolutely crazy about each other, like Lynn and me. Josh never stops talking about you. Trust me, Lynn and I are always asking when he's going to pop the question."

I laughed. "He's pretty spectacular."

"Definitely a keeper." She said, and put some Nars stick on Tori.

"So…how are things at Yale?" I asked.

"Let's put it this way…when they heard about you and Josh almost getting murdered, things were tense, almost like it was our school. Lynn couldn't keep himself straight until he heard that you guys were okay."

"Wow…how'd you guys find out?" I asked.

"Someone texted me. Lynn read the whole thing over my shoulder and freaked. But you're okay. That's scary about Sabine and Ariana though."

"No kidding." I shook my head. "I was so freaked out this morning. Seriously spacing."

"I imagine." Gia said, and shook her head.

"Come on! People are coming!" Lynn opened the door, and shut it immediately.

"Do you have your dress?" Gia asked, and I nodded

"It's in that Versace bag over there."

"Could I see it?" Tia asked, and I slipped out of my Victoria's Secret baby doll nightgown.

"Sure." I said, and turned my back to them. I slid the soft magenta fabric over my head, and straightened over my body.

"Wow." Gia said as I twirled. "Did Josh help you pick that out?"

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"It's something he would pick out. I've known Josh for five years now…he's like my little brother."

"I understand. He's amazing." I said, as I pulled on my silver ballet flats. Tia slipped on a gold Chanel dress. Tori pulled a silver Chanel dress that matched Tia's over her head, and Gia stepped into her poofy Dior ball gown.

"Lovely." Gia said, and led us downstairs. The beautiful dining room (that was larger than most peoples houses, had been completely cleaned out to hold the ball. It looked gorgeous.

"Reed!" Josh called, and jogged to me. "You look spectacular."

"Thanks." I said, as Josh grabbed a champagne glass off a waiter's tray.

"Hollis!" I heard the voice of Gage Coolidge call. He came over, hand in hand with Ivy. Had she flipped her shit when Josh had broken up with her? Was she out to get me?

"Hey Reed." She said, and to my surprise, she smiled. Smiled.

"Hi Ivy."

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" She asked.

"Yeah." I looked to Josh. He nodded, and I followed her to another area of the room.

"Just so that we're clear, I'm not mad at you." She said. "I…I always thought that I wasn't the one on his mind. And, to be honest…I still love Gage. So…do you still want to be friends?"

Ivy. Wanted. To be. My friend. "Yeah. Let's."

"And…I'm sorry that I didn't come see you at the hospital. I don't think that Noelle would've reacted well to that." She grinned in spite of herself.

"It's cool." I said, as we made our way back to Josh, who was now standing with Gage, Trey, and Dash.

Noelle was here. Oh damn.

"Reed!" Someone called. I turned around to see Noelle, looking dazzling in a black Donna Karen gown that she'd sent me a picture of.

"That dress is too hot for words." I said.

"Might as well wear stuff like this while I can." She said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Gage asked.

"Nothing. Nothing." Dash said, raising his eyebrows at Noelle.

"No fucking way." Trey said, looking from Dash to Noelle, to Noelle's teensy waist, and back to Dash, who just shrugged.

"Seriously?" Astrid said, keying into what Trey was implying.

Noelle looked at Dash. He just looked down, smiling slightly.

Vienna and London walked up. "Hey, hey, hey! What's up with our buddies?"

"McCafferty knocked up Lange." Gage said, causing Dash, Josh and Trey to crack up.

"Sh!" Noelle said, and grinned.

"No…really?" Vienna asked.

Noelle made a face. Dash cracked up again. "Come on." He said. "They'll know soon enough." He wrapped his arms protectively around Noelle.

I looked at Josh. He mirrored my confused gaze, and turned back to Trey.

"So are you guys coming back to Easton?" Astrid asked.

"Maybe. Depends on who Mr. and Mrs. Hollis hire as body guards." I said, shrugging.

"Yeah. My parents said that we can't miss school." Josh informed me, and smiled. That made my day.

"How about you, Noelle?" London asked.

"Of course." She said. "I'd miss everyone way too much."

This was sure to be an interesting night.


	13. Chapter 13

**Seriously, you guys are way too amazing. J'adore! But what's with you guys that put me under Favorite Story and stuff- REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Private. As much as you guys seem to think otherwise, I'm not Kate Brian.**

I was puzzled. Why was Ivy being so nice? I'd taken Josh from her, for god's sake.

But then again, she _was_ back with Gage. They were almost like Noelle and Dash- break up for awhile, and then get back together. Except, Ivy wasn't engaged or pregnant, as far as I knew.

We were all sitting at one of the tables on the edge of the room. Vienna and London had made a trip to (where else) London and Vienna. Vienna had brought a bag full of presents for simply everyone, even including Ivy. Maybe if she realized that we weren't so bad, she would take the newfound vacancy in Billings.

"I have presents!" Vienna screeched, and began handing out black gift bags and boxes.

I opened one of the bags. Inside was a royal blue Versace clutch, made of the softest velvet, with a pure silver clasp.

"Vienna…wow." I said, and waved it.

"I knew you'd like that." She smiled, and Ivy pulled a huge magenta Marc Jacobs bag from her box.

"Vienna, you know I only wear black and white." She smiled softly.

"Honey, you need some color." London said, causing Ivy to giggle. Constance opened her box to reveal an almost non-existent negligee. Whit grinned, and raised his eyebrows at Constance. She smacked him lightly, and turned an astounding shade of red.

"I have presents too!" London yelled, and pulled out an equally large bag, filled with white wrapped gifts.

"Pretty earrings, Reed." Rose said.

"Definitely gorgeous. Who from?" Portia asked.

"Josh. He had our initials engraved into them." I said.

"Those are pretty wow." Constance said, pouring back a glass of wine. Who knew Constance drank?

"Here Reed. Open this one." London said, and chucked a white bag at me.

"I think the only thing here that's my style is the packaging." Ivy sighed, causing the rest of us to dissolve into laughter.

I opened the bag. It held a long Tiffany & Co. box, which I opened to find the prestigious Tiffany charm bracelet.

"London…" I said, and winked.

"Welcome back to Billings. And, as a result of the vacancy in Billings, its time that we ask a new member to join. We also need to elect a new president, or re-elect as the case may be, but that can wait. So, I ask, Ivy, we are willing to re-extend your invite to Billings. Do you accept?" Portia asked.

"You can't be serious." She said softly, shaking her head.

"We are." Noelle said.

Ivy's blue eyes widened. She bit her lip. "I think it's about time to let go of yesterday. I know that the newer additions to Billings are definitely different than those before. I…accept." She smiled. We all threw our arms around her, and hopefully made it clear that we had nothing against her. What had made my Billings sisters see that she wasn't the witch that we originally thought she was? I told Noelle, but that was it. Noelle probably had tipped them off though.

"Congratulations, Ivy." I said, and Josh nodded. She smiled back at us.

"Thanks. It was about time to realize that Cheyenne was the one that made Billings seem so…horrible. I know it really isn't now. People like Reed are the ones who have made it better." Ivy said, when we heard rushed footsteps from behind.

Marc Alberro, or S.O., Or 14-in-14-flower boy had arrived. I turned to Josh.

"I never said I didn't like the kid." Josh said. Wow. He'd managed to get just about everyone here. Just about.

"Hey Marc!" Constance called. Number 15 on the F.Y.R. list came over to see everyone.

"Hey Constance, Reed." He said, and pulled a chair over. "What's up?"

"We just took care of the vacancy in Billings." Vienna said triumphantly.

"Definitely a good choice." Rose said, and pulled of the top of her white box. She pulled out a pair of ultra-minimal boyshorts. She put them back in the box, and grinned at London. "London!" She threw the underwear at her, and London giggled.

This was how everything was supposed to be. Fun, carefree and perfect, like us.

"We welcomed Ivy into Billings." Gage said in a wannabe girl voice, causing the guys to crack up.

"We need a new president." Astrid said, as Trey massaged her bare shoulders.

"Very true." Noelle said. "Any nominations?"

"Astrid…" Trey said, though I doubt he was nominating her. He was burying his face in her hair, and Astrid seemed to be moaning in pleasure.

"Get a room!" Gage said, and smacked Trey.

"Hello! Serious conversation!" Noelle clapped her hands. Trey snapped away quickly.

"I nominate…Reed." Constance said. My stomach fell through my feet. I couldn't take this job again. I couldn't.

"I'm…I'm sorry." I said after a second of everyone staring straight at me. "I can't do that again. Therefore, I nominate…Tiffany." I knew that Constance certainly did not want that job. She was definitely too (to quote Ivy) 'Little orphan Annie'. But little orphan Annie with a checkbook.

"Seriously?" Tiffany's entire face lit up, her beautiful features coming to light.

"Definitely." I said. "Any more nominations?"

"I nominate Missy." Lorna said. A general sigh went around the table. I liked Lorna- I really did, but she needed some serious away time from Missy.

"All for Missy?" I asked. Two votes, plus Gage.

"All for Tiffany?" I asked, and twelve other hands, plus Gage shot up in the air. Ivy whacked him with her magenta bag, and he winced in pain.

"Congratulations!" We said in unison, and Tiffany snapped a picture. What better a girl to take over? She was beautiful, influential and truly a Billings girl. She reveled in all of the attention, smiling and laughing like it was positively the most natural thing in the world. I didn't regret for a second turning down the job.

Everything was finally perfect. But I knew it better than anyone- as soon as things were perfect, something always went bad.


	14. Chapter 14

**Scare you guys?**

**Haha. Trust me, you're scared for a reason. :D**

It was only when the car arrived at the Hollis's that I realized that I had no idea how to drive. The car was dropped off the day we were leaving for Easton, and Lynn just about wet himself. It was finally time to return to Easton, and there was a sad note in the air. Of course, we would be back around Easter, but we'd be at the house in Maine then.

"You don't know how to drive, do you?" Josh asked. I'd driven my dad's car around the block, but that was just about it.

"No." I said, feeling myself turning red.

"Don't worry!" He laughed, pulling me to him. "I'll teach you when we get back to Easton."

"You're sure I won't hurt anything?" I asked, still nervous.

"Positive. I wouldn't let you. I love you too much." He nuzzled my neck affectionately.

"If you say so." I said. "I can't believe we're already going back to Easton."

"I know. Crazy, isn't it? We can leave as soon as we say goodbye to my parents." He said as we flung our bags into the small trunk of my car.

"Alright. I love your parents. They're great."

"Yeah, they are pretty awesome." He said fondly. We walked back through the door, and said goodbye to his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Hollis said to come back as soon as I could, and to be safe at school. Our bodyguards were meeting us at Easton. We weren't the only ones returning with bodyguards; Noelle, Tiffany and the Twin Cities were too. Saying goodbye to Josh's family was hard- they were my family as much as he was now.

X

Josh pulled the car through the iron gates of Easton. I felt a tumult of mixed emotions- sadness, happiness, and…fear. We drove through the wooded campus, finally reaching the Billings dorm. The car crawled to a stop, and I got out. Tiffany was lounging on the steps, holding a large box. Obviously Susan Llewellyn, or Suzel, had already been there.

"Hey Tiff." I called, as I hopped out of the car.

"Hey Reed. Do you have a key? I forgot mine in West's car" She asked, setting the box down on the stone steps.

"West?" I replied, and fished the gold key out of my pocket. I twisted it in the knob, and pushed it open.

"Friend of the family. We practically grew up together."

"Ah." I replied, as Josh handed me my bags. "Love you." I said, and kissed him lightly.

"Love you more." He grinned, and jogged back to my car.

"Cute car." Tiffany said, as we walked into Billings.

"Christmas present from Noelle." I giggled, as I dropped on the couch. The door opened again, and Portia cat walked inside.

"Hey." She waved, and returned to her Blackberry. "What's happening?"

"Not much. You?" Tiffany asked.

"NM. Bring that right upstairs." She told a moving boy holding a massive trunk. She followed him up the stairs, still texting. Someone knocked on the door, and I got up to answer.

"Sorry! Can't open it myself." London said, flanked by a massive guy, Vienna with a similar guy close behind. The bodyguards seemed not only to be bodyguards, but personal assistants as well, as suitcases, bags and trunks weighed them down.

"No problem." I said, and stepped aside to let them through. A red Porsche pulled up, and Ivy stepped out.

"Hey Ivy!" Tiffany called, as Ivy hauled Gage out of his car. She put some bags in his arms, and led him up the steps.

"Hi Tiffany, Reed." She said, as Gage staggered through the doorway.

"This is SNC, as Portia would put it. Or as I say, TFU." He said, rolling his brown eyes.

"TFU?" Vienna asked.

"Totally effed up." He explained, beginning up the stairs. Ivy, London and Vienna stayed where they were, as Astrid walked in with Trey.

"Hey." Astrid said, waving to us. Trey looked around, observing his surroundings.

"Where's Hollis?" Trey asked me.

"At the JAM building. He had to drop off a piece for the art teacher." I replied, as I put on the TV. It was great to be home again.

X

That night, after everyone arrived and we ate Chinese food that Noelle had brought, I padded upstairs to my room. I clicked on the light, and sank into my soft mattress. I pulled off my Marc Jacobs ballet flats and my clothes, and slipped into my silky black pajamas (courtesy of Josh). As I was pulling my new Mac laptop off my bedside table, Noelle walked in.

"Hey." She said, and fell back on her bed. "Reed, I can't believe the enormity of all of this."

"Of what?" I asked, as I crawled under my Berkshire blanket.

"What else?" She asked, and sighed.

"Oh."

"Reed. I'm eighteen. I can't do this."

"Well there you go." I said, seeing the easy way out quite simply.

"What?" She asked, looking at me.

"Marry Dash, like you intend to, and have an abortion. As much as I hate saying it, that would probably be a viable decision." I said, looking and feeling grave.

"I'm eighteen…legally an adult…you're right!" She said. "Thank you, Reed." She smiled genuinely.

"Noelle, don't thank me. I'm telling you that you can legally have…that done." I gulped. I could never, ever do that, but for Noelle, it wasn't a terrible decision. She was eighteen, and not even out of high school. I turned to look out the window, and saw a flash of what looked to be black hair.

"Noelle." I said quietly.

"What? What is it?" She asked, sensing my fear.

"Oh my god." I whispered. Black hair. Long black hair.

Sabine.


End file.
